


5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!

by MajestyTime



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Crush, Awkwardness, Bad Cooking, Bad Flirting, Bad Writing, Baking, Best Friends, Cookies, Crushes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Kinda, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Shorter Wong, Pizza, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Roommates, Shy Ash, Slightly Out Of Character, Teasing, sorryyyy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22808827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajestyTime/pseuds/MajestyTime
Summary: "It's not that easy, Shorter!" Ash groans, tossing his head back. "Where do I even begin? I don't even know if Eiji likes me."Shorter grins and looks up at Ash. "Seduce him."Ash stares at Shorter for a moment before smacking his head. Shorter quickly sits up and smacks Ash's shoulder before holding his phone up to Ash. On the screen was an article titled5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!"Shorter," Ash snorts, pushing his phone away. "You've had a lot of shitty ideas before, but this one really takes the cake."
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Okumura Eiji & Shorter Wong, Ash Lynx & Shorter Wong, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 216





	5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!

**Author's Note:**

> This was loosely based off of [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22743142) snowbaz fic which was made by [Cinnamon_for_days](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamon_for_days/pseuds/Cinnamon_for_days) Go check it out! The original is much funnier than this oneshot ;u;

Because Ash is a complete idiot, he agreed to move into an apartment with his best friend Shorter and Eiji, the person Ash has been crushing on since forever. They'd just entered college, couldn't afford dorms or an apartment on their own, and none of them wanted to keep living with their parents. They were all friends, so, moving in was a great idea, right?

It had only been two weeks since the three of them had finally gotten settled into their apartment, and Ash was already losing his mind. For one, somehow, it was decided that since the apartment only had two bedrooms, Shorter would get his own bedroom, and Ash and Eiji would share the other bedroom. Shorter was the one who suggested Ash and Eiji should share a room and Ash was just about ready to throttle him when Eiji turned to look at Ash. The way Eiji had tilted his head to the side and asked sweetly if that was okay with Ash was just too much for him to handle. How could Ash possibly refuse when Eiji looked at him with all the stars in the sky floating in his eyes? Plus, sharing a bedroom with Eiji should be great, right?

Nope. Sharing a bedroom with Eiji was a lot more painful than Ash thought it would be.

For one, the two of them slept in separate twin-sized beds on either side of the room. Eiji always went to bed and fell asleep earlier than Ash. Every night, Ash would lay in his bed and stare at Eiji. Some nights, Ash would stare at Eiji's back, and other nights, if he was lucky, he'd stare at Eiji's face. Eiji looked so beautiful and peaceful in his sleep. Seeing Eiji always made Ash feel good, but seeing Eiji sleeping on his own all the way on the other side of the room pained Ash. Sometimes, Ash would look at Eiji's sleeping form, studying his scruffy hair and the steady rise and fall of Eiji's chest, and the desire to hold Eiji would rip apart his insides. Usually, Ash fell asleep to daydreams of him and Eiji pressed together, lighting up the dark room with their steady heat and sparkly, pink love.

The mornings were even worse. If he was lucky, Ash would wake up to the smell of breakfast wafting into the room from the kitchen. He'd turn his head to look at the empty bed across from him and sigh before rolling out of bed. Ash would go through the normal routine of getting dressed and stretching before heading over the kitchen. He'd eat breakfast with them at the dining table. Shorter would beg for another serving and Eiji would brush him off by telling him that he needs to get to class or something, and that would be that.

If Ash was unlucky, however, Eiji would be the one to wake him up. Eiji would grab him by the shoulders to shake Ash. Eiji would poke Ash's face and pinch his cheeks and tell him to get up already. Ash would open his eyes and Eiji's face would be so, so close. Close enough that Ash could see the cracks in Eiji's lips and black outline around Eiji's sweet, chocolatey eyes. Sometimes Eiji would grab his arm or his hip and attempt to shake him awake. Ash slept in nothing but his boxers and wherever Eiji's fingertips brushed him, Ash's skin would burn with want. Eiji's body was too much to handle when it made contact with Ash's body, but Ash especially struggled whenever Eiji got out of the shower.

Eiji never warned Ash about taking a shower, so randomly, Eiji would stroll into their shared bedroom in nothing but a towel on his head to dry his wet hair, and a towel loosely hung around his hips. Ash felt like such a pervert whenever he looked. His eyes were naturally drawn to the toned muscle of Eiji's body, all thanks to his pole-vaulting. Eiji's hips were narrow and his v-line was clearly defined. Eiji's back was an endlessly smooth expanse of skin and his towel barely covered his backside. His skin looked just as soft as his thighs and every time Ash looked, he imagined what it would be like to bite Eiji. Ash could picture it so vividly: licking the soft skin of Eiji's inner thigh before sinking his teeth in and teasing the soft flesh around his teeth and tongue, eliciting a moan from Eiji—

At that point, Eiji would turn towards him and Ash would rip his gaze away before Eiji could notice. By then, Ash would be fully flushed in more places than one.

Sometimes, when Ash was sitting on his bed reading or typing up some essay for class, he could feel Eiji's eyes burning into him. Eventually, Ash would turn his head to look at Eiji and they would lock eyes for a moment. Eiji would smile at him before finally breaking his gaze and going back to whatever he was doing. The way Eiji casually and openly looked at Ash with such a gentle look on his face as if Ash were the most beautiful person in the world was unnerving.

Everyday, there was always _something_ happening between him and Eiji and Ash wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. Just today, Ash was washing dishes in the sink when Eiji had come up behind him and stood up on tippy toes to reach the cupboard above him. Eiji had reached over Ash's shoulder, his body gently pressing against Ash's body from behind. The contact was brief and fleeting, but Ash's stomach had done somersaults even after Eiji had already gone on his way after grabbing what he needed.

Now, Ash was sitting on the couch, dying on the inside. Eiji was at class and Shorter had just come home.

"Hey, Ash!" Shorter says, tossing his backpack the side of the door before flopping face-first onto the couch next to Ash. When Ash doesn't respond, Shorter lifts his head to look at him. "You good?"

"I'm so dead," Ash says calmly, staring blankly ahead. Shorter raises an eyebrow, unperturbed.

"Care to elaborate?" Shorter replies, resting his chin on both of his palms. Ash slumps in his seat.

"Living with Eiji is killing me," Ash says with a sigh, running his fingers through his silky blond hair.

"I thought you liked Eiji," Shorter replies, rolling onto his back and placing his hands on his stomach.

"That's exactly the problem: Living with him is so—" Ash pauses, huffing out a frustrated sigh. "It reminds me how much not dating him sucks."

Shorter pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts tapping away. "So date him."

"It's not that easy, Shorter!" Ash groans, tossing his head back. "Where do I even begin? I don't even know if Eiji likes me."

Shorter grins and looks up at Ash. Ash quirks an eyebrow at the sight. "Seduce him."

Ash stares at Shorter for a moment before smacking his head. Shorter quickly sits up and smacks Ash's shoulder before holding his phone up to Ash. On the screen was an article titled _5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!_

"Shorter," Ash snorts, pushing Shorter's phone away from his face. "You've had a lot of shitty ideas before, but this one really takes the cake."

Shorter's grin only grows wider as he shoves his phone back towards Ash. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"I end up embarrassing myself in front of Eiji?" Ash says, skimming through the article despite knowing that he shouldn't.

"Or," Shorter replies in a singsong. "You two could end up..."

Shorter makes a rude gesture with both of his hands and Ash slaps his hands down before handing the phone back to Shorter.

"Shut up," Ash says. "It's not happening."

Shorter shrugs and flops back down, feigning indifference with his blank expression and engrossment with his phone. "Suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when Eiji gets a boyfriend and forgets all about you. I'm still sending you the article anyway in case you change your mind."

Ash's gut lurches uncomfortably at Shorter's words. Just the thought of Eiji dating someone that wasn't him felt like a sharp glass shard through Ash's heart.

"Aren't you supposed to be studying for that calc exam on Monday?" Ash asks, swiftly changing the subject. Ash plasters on a teasing smirk as the article falls to the back of Ash's mind.

"There's a calc exam on Monday?!"

[]

The next morning, at the dining table, Ash finds himself reading the article. He wasn't going to use the tips or anything, but Ash was curious about what the article said, and he'd only skimmed it earlier. Ash will just read through the article properly just to see what it says and then he'll move on with his life, no problem.

Except, Shorter decides to ask Eiji, "Hey, Eiji, do you have a boyfriend?"

Ash nearly chokes on his food as Eiji puts down his spoon. Eiji tilts his head to the side. "Why do you ask?"

Ash shoots daggers at Shorter as his body tenses up, but Shorter only grins in response. "No reason. I was just wondering."

"I don't have a boyfriend," Eiji says, taking another bite of his food. Ash visibly deflates, relief washing over him.

"I've always wanted one though!" Eiji adds, making Ash tense up again.

Shorter shoots another unsubtle glance at Ash. "Oh really? Maybe you should try putting yourself out there more."

Eiji makes a noncommittal noise in response. "Maybe. I mean...there is someone I like..."

"Who?" Shorter asks, staring at Ash, who felt as though he'd been stabbed in the gut. Ash's insides twist and writhe inside him as he waits for Eiji's answer.

"Not telling," Eiji hums, taking another bite of his food. 

The thought of Eiji dating anyone other than him made Ash want to explode, but instead of grabbing Eiji and kissing him after professing his undying love for him, Ash quietly continues to eat his delicious breakfast. Its powerful flavors do nothing to sweeten up his sudden sour mood.

"What about you, Ash?" Eiji asks quietly, avoiding eye contact with Ash.

Ash blushes in response, determinedly staring into his plate of bacon and eggs. "No boyfriend."

"But he does have a crush on someone!" Shorter interjects, leaning forward on the table and smiling knowingly. Ash shoves Shorter's shoulder and scowls at him, making Shorter laugh. Ash takes note of how Eiji's lips curl downwards into a small frown at Shorter's words. His heart skips a beat at the possibility of Eiji being jealous.

Later, Ash can't help but find himself drawn to that dumb article again while Shorter clears the plates and Eiji bolts out the door to head to class. He scrolls through the article as Shorter washes the dishes and decides to try them out. Maybe trying out these tips was Ash's chance at showing Eiji he liked him without having to outright saying it. Ash could end up embarrassing himself, but trying out these tips was better than doing nothing. Ash knew that if he didn't do something about his feelings soon, he was definitely going to lose his mind.

✿

_**5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!** _

_Are you struggling to get together with your crush? Can't seem to draw their eye? Here are five surefire ways to seduce your crush and make them love you!_

_1\. Make physical contact!_

_Touching your crush in an intimate, nonsexual way can help strengthen the bond between you and them while implying to them that you see them as a potential romantic partner. Go ahead and rest your arm on their shoulder, hold their hand, let your knee brush against theirs. If you're especially shy, you can make these brief moments of contact seem like an accident, but purposeful, straightforward contact is recommended. Confidence is sexy! Strong eye contact while touching helps too!_

✿

Eiji groans as he sits down onto the couch in the living room. Ash sits down next to him and watches as Eiji runs his fingers through his fluffy black hair. His skin looked soft and Ash could see Eiji's collarbones peeking out from underneath his blue, long-sleeved shirt that had some anime characters printed on the front and white Japanese lettering on the sleeves. Ash's eyes roam over Eiji's body, his slim form accentuated by the tightness of the his shirt. The sleeves were slightly too long, so Eiji kept gripping the ends of his sleeves in his hands, essentially creating sweater paws. The whole sight makes Ash's throat dry.

"How was class?" Ash asks, mentally preparing himself for what he was going to do next.

"Ugh, class was so boring," Eiji replies, launching into a long-winded rant about his day. Ash's stomach clenches and unclenches, doing backflips inside his body as he waits for his chance while Eiji talks.

"...And then the professor told us we have a twenty page essay due soon," Eiji finishes with a huff. "He gives us this assignment out of nowhere and then expects us to finish it with so little time. It's completely unfair!"

Ash straightens up in his seat and leans forward as he places his hand on Eiji's shoulder. "Mr.Blanca is pretty annoying when it comes to due dates."

"Yeah," Eiji says, rubbing his neck. "He never takes late assignments either, which sucks."

Ash leaves his hand on Eiji's shoulder. Holy shit, Ash was touching Eiji and Eiji wasn't pushing him away! For a second, Ash can't help but wonder what Eiji's bare skin would feel like underneath his hand.

Eiji gives him a weird look, his gaze flicking down to where Ash's hand lay on his shoulder. Oh, he should probably let go now, right? But the article said to be confident and straightforward, so Ash places both of his hands on Eiji's shoulders. Ash stares intensely at Eiji, jade eyes piercing into brown. Ash stares.

And stares.

And stares.

Eiji nose scrunches up, lips curling downward. He shrugs out of Ash's grip and stands up suddenly. "I need to go work on my paper."

"Wait," Ash says, the word dying on his tongue as Eiji quickly scurries into their shared bedroom. Ash lets out a sigh and slumps in his seat, embarrassment worming its way into his stomach.

✿

**_5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!_ **

_2\. Make their favorite meal or buy them a hot drink or snack!_

_The way to a person's heart is through their stomach! Making a meal for someone can show them how much you care for them and can help them see you as a good, long-term partner. If you can't cook, buying them a nice snack or drink can also show them you care. Why not share some food with your crush?_

✿

Ash can't make any food for Eiji if Shorter is home because Shorter will tease the shit out of him despite it being his idea for Ash to follow these dumb tips. Ash made sure to triple check that Shorter wouldn't be home today. Shorter had a short shift at work before class, so Ash didn't have to worry about Shorter coming home and teasing him while Ash was making the food and giving it to Eiji.

Eiji's favorite food was natto, and there was no way in hell Ash was going to go anywhere near a bowl of natto, let alone make one. So, Ash decides to bake Eiji some chocolate chip cookies because Eiji loves sweets. Baking should be easy right? Just follow a set of instructions and get a delicious batch of food in return.

After Ash finishes baking the cookies, he sets them on a rack to cool and soon enough, Eiji gets home from class.

"I'm home!" Eiji calls as he locks the door behind him. Eiji slips out of his sneakers and sets them neatly by the door.

"Hey," Ash says, loud enough for Eiji to hear it from the living room. "Can you come into the kitchen?"

"Sure," Eiji says, dropping off his backpack in the living room before heading to the kitchen. Eiji's eyes light up at the sight of the cookies. Seeing Eiji in front of him, with his slightly tousled and wavy hair along with easy smile hanging off his lips made Ash feel a lot more nervous about giving Eiji these cookies.

"Cookies?" Eiji asks, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah...uh..." Ash can feel his stomach turn uncomfortably inside him as he avoids eye contact. "Um...they're for you."

"Really?" Eiji says, his smile growing wider. "Thanks Ash!"

Ash's heart does a backflip inside his chest, his lips turning upwards. "Help yourself."

Eiji picks up a cookie and bites into it. Eiji's expression immediately sours and he covers his mouth with his hand.

"Eiji...?"

Eiji forces himself to swallow the bite, failing immensely at hiding his disgusted expression. "It's...uh, great."

Ash's entire body sags. He runs his fingers through his hair. "You don't have to lie, Eiji."

"Sorry, Ash," Eiji says, smiling sheepishly. "Practice makes perfect, though! I'll always be here to be your taste tester if you want."

"Yeah," Ash mutters, scraping the plate of cookies into the trash.

✿

**_5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!_ **

_3\. Flirt!_

_Doing nice things and having casual physical contact with your crush is good, but in order to make them see you as a romantic partner, you have to flirt! If you're bad at flirting or struggle to talk to others, don't worry! You don't have to be bold in your courtship. Just giving compliments often and mentioning how much you like them as a person can help them see you in a new light. If subtle flirts and compliments don't work, then don't be afraid to be bold in your advances!_

✿

Ash had never flirted much before. That might seem crazy, but Ash was only eighteen years old, and every time he had a crush, he ignored it until it went away. The problem this time was that Ash had grown a lot more close with Eiji than he'd ever had with any of his other crushes before, and also, _they were living together_ , so Ash couldn't exactly avoid Eiji until his crush went away. The scariest part was that Ash didn't _want_ his feelings to go away. Ash was starting to think that he was _in love_ with Eiji, which was a huge problem for someone who tended to suppress his own romantic feelings until they disappeared.

Ash had been crushing on Eiji since the beginning of their senior year of high school. The good thing about high school was that Ash felt very childish. The furthest his and Eiji's relationship could go would be making out. It's not like they could have sex without their parents catching them and both of them were too shy anyways for that sort of thing. But now, they were in college, and they lived in their own apartment. Nothing was in the way now...

Ash got to see sides of Eiji he'd never seen before these past two weeks, sides that no one else outside of close friends and family could see.

Like when Eiji came home from a long day at work or school and read manga in bed to unwind. Or when Ash, Shorter, and Eiji would all watch a movie together, Eiji would sometimes bring a couple blankets for the three of them to curl up under while watching. Sometimes Eiji would rest his head on Ash's shoulder while they watch and Shorter would fall asleep midway through the movie, so Ash would shake him awake and him and Eiji would tease Shorter endlessly for falling asleep. Or when Eiji would hand Ash a fresh cup of coffee while he was doing some schoolwork because he noticed Ash looked tired and "thought you could use a cup of coffee". Little stuff like that pulled on Ash's heartstrings and made him ache to hold Eiji close.

Now, Ash was sitting cross-legged on his bed with a book on his lap. Eiji was typing away on his laptop, a few notebooks, papers, and textbooks strewn around him on his bed. Ash couldn't help but steal a few glances at Eiji while he was reading. Eiji's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and Eiji occasionally chewed on his bottom lip. His bottom lip was slightly more swollen and pink than his upper lip, the kissability of Eiji's lips distracting Ash immensely.

 _Your lips look soft enough to kiss_ seemed too forward, though.

Ash forces his eyes away from Eiji's lips, and instead studies the soft waves of Eiji's inky and soft curls. Eiji's hair was not super curly, but very wavy, so Ash wasn't sure if Eiji's hair was actually considered curly. His hair always looked silky and Ash sometimes daydreamed about running his fingers through Eiji's black locks. Ash couldn't help but wonder what Eiji's hair smelled like. Probably vanilla or chocolate, Ash guessed. Eiji once mentioned liking flowery scents, so his hair might smell fruity like citrus or lavender.

 _I bet your hair smells really nice_ sounds very creepy, though, so Ash wasn't going to go with that.

Ash could see a little bit of Eiji's collarbone sticking out from underneath his loose, button-up pajama shirt. Eiji's skin was smooth and golden like honey and it probably tasted just as sweet—

"Ash?" Eiji turns his head away from his laptop screen to look at Ash. Was Ash hallucinating, or was Eiji blushing slightly? "You're...um, staring."

Oh.

"Oh," Ash says, heat rising up to his cheeks. Had he really been staring longing enough for Eiji to catch him?

Eiji tilts his head to the side. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Ash replies. "I was just...appreciating how good you are at studying."

"Um, thanks?" Eiji says, an awkward smile making its way onto Eiji's lips for a fleeting moment before turning back to his work.

Damn. Ash's compliment didn't work. Maybe he had to be more bold.

Later, in the evening, Eiji was in the kitchen, making hot chocolate for himself. Ash leans against the countertop.

"Eiji, you're so good at stirring," Ash says, trying to sound enticing. Eiji frowns, slowing down his stirring to a stop.

"What?"

Ash straightens his posture and crosses his arms. "You're just so good at handling fluids."

Eiji's nose scrunches up, his frown deepening as he picks up his cup of hot chocolate. He holds his mug close to his chest as he turns his body away from Ash. "Gross, Ash, ugh."

And with that, Eiji leaves the kitchen, leaving behind a confused Ash.

✿

_**5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!** _

_4\. Wear perfume or cologne!_

_Wearing a bit of perfume or cologne can help make you seem more attractive to your crush. No one wants to date someone who's smelly, and smelling nice can help make your crush stay around you for longer! Wear a flowery scent or powerful cologne and your crush will definitely notice you!_

✿

Ash sets down the ten different bottles of cologne he'd bought from the mall onto his bed. Ash wasn't sure what scent Eiji would like the most, so he just bought a bunch of different ones. He sprays all of the colognes onto himself at least five times. Then, he sprays his side of the room as well for good measure before hiding all the bottles underneath his bed.

Eiji comes out of the shower and the moment he steps into the bedroom, he coughs, covering his mouth with his arm. "Oh my god, Ash, what did you do?"

"Isn't the smell...enticing?" Ash replies, coughing midway through his sentence. He coughs again, his eyes burning from the extremely strong cologne.

"Ugh, I can't—" Eiji says, going into a coughing fit before he can finish his sentence. He grabs his clothes and quickly leaves the room. That night, Eiji sleeps on the living room couch while Ash suffers alone in the bedroom.

✿

**_5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush!_ **

_5\. Play hard-to-get!_

_Sometimes, people can't see what they want until they can't have it anymore. Ignoring your crush may seem painful, especially if your crush is finally starting to show interest. But, playing hard-to-get can help make you seem more attractive and make getting with your crush that much more satisfying!_

_By using all these tips, you're guaranteed to make your crush fall head over heels for you! Chase after your crush with these tips and get ready to have the time of your life!_

✿

That afternoon, Ash, Eiji, and Shorter are all sitting together on the sofa for lunch. Normally, Ash always sat next to Eiji on the couch, but today, Ash sits at the end of the couch and has Shorter sit next to him in the middle of the couch, forcing Eiji to sit on the other side of Shorter. Eiji raised an eyebrow at Ash when he did this. Eiji's lips curled downwards when Ash shrugged dismissively at Eiji in response.

"What should we have for lunch?" Shorter asks, scrolling on his phone.

"I don't know," Ash says, resting his head on Shorter's head to look at the food Shorter was looking at on his phone.

"So helpful, Ash," Shorter says, rolling his eyes behind his black sunglasses, which were low on his nose. Ash steals a glance at Eiji, frowning slightly at the lack of a reaction from Eiji.

"How about Indian food?" Eiji suggests, leaning over to look at Shorter's phone too.

"Sound's good," Shorter says. "I've been craving paneer."

Ash scoffs. "You're always craving paneer."

"What can I say?" Shorter replies, dramatically clutching his chest. "It's just too delicious!"

"Ash, does Indian food sound good?" Eiji asks, tilting his head to the side to look at Ash. Ash doesn't respond, determined to avoid Eiji's gaze. A few moments of awkward silence pass before Shorter turns his head slightly to look at Ash.

"You good?" Shorter says.

Ash looks up to make eye contact with Shorter, trying his hardest to get under Eiji's skin like this. "I'm good. Anyways, I had Indian food the other night. How about Thai food?"

Shorter shrugs and turns to look at Eiji, who's eyebrows were scrunching together. "Thai?"

Eiji shakes his head. "I'm not feeling Thai. Mexican?"

Shorter shakes his head. "I had Mexican last night."

Ash groans, sliding down from Shorter's shoulder and flopping onto Shorter's lap. "Ugh, let's just get pizza."

Eiji frowns deeply at the sight. Shorter was like a brother to Ash and casual touch between him and Shorter was totally normal for both of them, so Shorter didn't raise an eyebrow at Ash's actions. But, though Eiji knew Ash and Shorter were best friends, he didn't really know about this aspect of their friendship. Seeing Eiji get slightly bothered by this was pleasing Ash more than it should.

"Sure," Eiji says, trying to make eye contact Ash and huffing quietly when Ash continues to slide his jade eyes over him, as if he wasn't there.

"Hell yeah," Shorter says with a smile, already pulling up the website for their go-to pizza place. "Extra cheese and pineapple, here we come!"

"I'm always going to be disgusted by your love of pineapple on pizza," Ash says, shifting around so that he was laying on his back, his head still resting on Shorter's lap.

Shorter elbows Ash in the stomach. "Pineapple and pizza is the best combo! You just have no taste!"

"Says the guy with a purple mohawk," Ash snorts, earning another elbow to the ribs from Shorter. Ash smacks Shorter's hand and they start smacking each other back and forth. Eiji leans back in his seat, nails digging into the flesh of his palm, but he doesn't say anything.

Ash spends the entire day ignoring Eiji. Anytime Eiji spoke to him, Ash would turn away or stare blankly through him, as if Eiji wasn't there. Even Shorter had noticed and shot Ash some confused looks too. Later, Ash goes outside to grab a few snacks for Shorter and himself. When he gets back and comes into the bedroom, he notices Eiji sitting on his bed, making him frown slightly before he remembers that he's supposed to be ignoring Eiji right now. Eiji had his phone in front of him. As Ash sets down his snacks, Eiji starts reading aloud.

"5 Ways to Seduce Your Crush," Eiji says, making Ash freeze. A sinking feeling settles in Ash's stomach as dread wraps itself around him.

"Are you struggling to get together with your crush?" Eiji continues, eyebrows scrunched together. "Can't seem to catch their eye? Here are five surefire ways to seduce your crush and make them love you."

"Stop reading that!" Ash finally speaks, rushing over to Eiji to try to grab Eiji's phone out of his hand. Eiji swiftly tucks his hand behind his back, making it impossible for Ash to grab the phone.

"It's too late," Eiji says, staring directly into Ash's eyes. "I already read the whole thing."

"Fuck," Ash breathes, leaning back and away from Eiji. "How...?"

Eiji crosses his arms. "Shorter sent it to me. Care to explain, Ash?"

This was it. End of the line. Ash had to come clean and be rejected by Eiji. Ash takes a deep breath, turning around so that his back was facing Eiji and his expression was hidden. Ash didn't want to see the look of disgust on Eiji's face when Eiji rejected him.

"I...like you," Ash manages to spit out, hugging himself. "Romantically. For a while now. It was easy to ignore until we started living together. I didn't want to tell you...but I wanted to try...I don't know. Shorter sent that dumb article to and I figured it was better than doing nothing."

Ash hears a sigh come from Eiji and all the muscles in his body tense up as he braces himself for rejection.

"Ash, you're lucky I like you too, or I would've filed a restraining order by now."

Ash turns around to gape at Eiji, who was smiling in a way that pulled at Ash's heartstrings.

"Seriously?" Ash stammers, his hands dropping to his sides. Ash's stomach was doing somersaults inside him, fluttering like pink butterflies swarming the sky. Eiji gestures for Ash to come to him, so Ash walks over to his bed and sits close to Eiji.

Eiji hums in response, smirking. "I like you, Ash, despite your terrible seduction skills."

Ash blushes, leaning in close to Eiji and reaching up to cup Eiji's cheek. Eiji's breath hitches, his smirk fading, his lips parting. "Shut up, Eiji."

Their lips connect and Ash is immediately hooked. Eiji's lips are soft and plush and amazing. Kissing Eiji felt like pink, heart-shaped balloons floating towards a bubblegum blue sky. Their kiss felt like rainbow sparklers lighting up a hot, summer night. Kissing him was the best feeling in the world.

They pause for a moment and Ash wants more, so he kisses Eiji again and again, until their bodies are melded together on the bed. Eiji was so soft and warm in Ash's arms and in that moment, Ash comes to the realization that he will never get enough of Eiji, not even after a million years.

Ash is running his fingers through Eiji's inky black hair and Eiji curls closer to Ash, his cheek pressed against Ash's chest. The sensation of Eiji pressed up against his body made him feel like he was floating. They lay on a cloud, surrounded by iridescent bubbles in the sunlight. The moment couldn't have been more perfect.

But, Ash had to ask.

"Eiji..."

"Hm?"

"What does this mean?"

"What do you mean?"

Ash's hand stills in Eiji's hair. "I like you. You like me. Are we dating now, or...?"

Eiji laughs against Ash's chest, the vibrations piercing straight through Ash's heart and bursting out through the other side as pure white wings. "Of course not."

Eiji's words suck the air out of Ash's lungs and a soft sound of pain slip out of Ash's mouth involuntarily.

"Sorry," Eiji continues, giggling softly. "I didn't mean it like that."

Eiji leans out of Ash's grip so that he can look directly into Ash's eyes. Ash loses himself in Eiji's milky eyes. Eiji smiles, all supernovas, stardust, and golden sunshine.

"Aslan Jade Callenreese," Eiji says, his voice like honey and milk.

Ash blushes at the use of his full name. He wants Eiji to call him by his full name more often. "Yes?"

"Will you do me the honor of going on a coffee date with me?" Eiji asks, smiling coyly as if he already knew the answer.

"Yes," Ash breathes, leaning in close to Eiji. Eiji nuzzles his nose against Ash's nose before connecting his lips with Ash's, making Ash's heart fly all over again.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed! :D


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